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A review by jake_wont_shut_up
Juicing the Game: Drugs, Power, and the Fight for the Soul of Major League Baseball by Howard Bryant
5.0
You might read the title and instantly think, "This book will be about steroids in baseball." You are slightly right. But it would be more accurate to say it's about drugs, power, and the fight for the soul of Major League Baseball.
Crazy, right?
It begins with the famous strike of '94, the actual fight between players and managers that stopped a season. It ends with some of baseballs largest figures being interviewed in Congress about what may or may not have happened in all those locker rooms.
In between, we have the struggle to bring fans back to the ballparks, the home run chase of '98, huge TV money pouring into baseball, questions about whether steroids really drove the offensive surge of the late '90s and early '00s, and a constant argument about who's to blame for what happened.
The short answer? Everyone. Everyone knew, or had an idea of what was happening, and hardly anyone actually wanted the questions answered. In the end, that's roughly the indictment, but it was certainly worth the journey if you're still interested.
Crazy, right?
It begins with the famous strike of '94, the actual fight between players and managers that stopped a season. It ends with some of baseballs largest figures being interviewed in Congress about what may or may not have happened in all those locker rooms.
In between, we have the struggle to bring fans back to the ballparks, the home run chase of '98, huge TV money pouring into baseball, questions about whether steroids really drove the offensive surge of the late '90s and early '00s, and a constant argument about who's to blame for what happened.
The short answer? Everyone. Everyone knew, or had an idea of what was happening, and hardly anyone actually wanted the questions answered. In the end, that's roughly the indictment, but it was certainly worth the journey if you're still interested.